…So I Dated a Hall of Famer

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As James Yasko wrote earlier this morning in his post, some minor league players make ends meet by staying with host families. Oklahoma City outfielder Drew Locke found a different way to cut down on at least one of his expenses in the Sooner State.

Shortly after arriving in Oklahoma, Locke took his date to The Softball Hall of Fame, and after a brief explanation, they were able to get in for free. It turns out that Locke’s date, Danielle Lawrie is one of the main attractions in the exhibit. Lawrie was a two-time USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010. She pitched every inning in the College World Series when Washington won the national title in 2009.

After college, Lawrie began her pro career last summer with the USSSA Pride, which fittingly plays their home games at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. However, the Astros spring training home is not where Locke and Lawrie met. “I met Danielle last summer when her pro team came to Round Rock to play against Jennie Finch’s team,” Locke said via Facebook interview.

Corpus Christi Hook Jimmy Van Ostrand served as the go-between when Locke and Lawrie met last August at Dell Diamond. Van Ostrand and Lawrie were at the 2008 Olympics together representing the Canadian baseball and softball teams respectively. “I texted my roommate from 2009, Jimmy Van Ostrand, who knew her from the Olympics,” Locke said. Van Ostrand came through and about a month later, Locke and Lawrie started dating.

Locke says that they talk about baseball/softball quite a bit, and that Lawrie even helped him with his batting stance during Spring Training. Plus, he says, “She is a world class athlete who has been to the top. She gets it. She knows what it takes to win. She has taught me quite a bit about that side of the game.”

I assume that Lawrie and Locke have circled August 3-6 on their calendars. Lawrie’s younger brother, Brett is a third base prospect for the Toronto Blue Jays. He is the second youngest player in the Pacific Coast League, after Jordan Lyles, and in early August, his Las Vegas squad will take on Oklahoma City and Drew Locke in Nevada.